SLOUGH’S aspiring politicians were rewarded for the success of their campaigning at the Houses of Parliament last week.

On Wednesday, January 25 Slough Youth Parliament (SYP) collected an award for obtaining an impressive 67 per cent voter turnout in the Make Your Mark ballot last year.

SYP’s campaigning in schools and communities resulted in more than 7,000 young people turning out in the vote to decide on the issues that matter most to them, including the voting age and tackling racism. That figure was the highest in the South East and the second highest in the country.

The results were debated by the UK Youth Parliament in the House of Commons and SYP recently backed a national campaign to lower the voting age to 16.

Alaa Fawaz, 15, Member of Youth Parliament for Slough, and chair of SYP, Hamzah Ahmed, 19, collected the award from MP Rob Wilson, the minister responsible for youth policy and volunteering.

Councillor Sabia Hussain, commissioner for education and children’s services said: “This is a much deserved award for the committed and passionate members of Slough Youth Parliament.“We are proud so many of our young people have taken the time to vote on the issues that matter most to them.”